Drew Alison Carey (born May 23, 1958
in Cleveland, Ohio, USA) is an actor and comedian famous for
his black-rimmed glasses. A former United States Marine
reservist, he adopted his trademark crew cut during his time
in the service.

After a
period spent performing stand-up comedy and supporting roles
on a number of television shows, he was given his own sitcom
on ABC, The Drew Carey Show
(1995-2004), in which he played the assistant director of
personnel at a department store in Cleveland, Ohio. Carey
also hosted the United States version of the improvisational
comedy show, Whose Line Is
It Anyway?

In 1997, Carey published his
autobiography, entitled Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of
the Unrefined, where he shared memories of his early
childhood, how his father died when Drew was eight years
old, his revelation that he was once sexually molested, his
bouts with depression, his failed attempts at suicide, his
college fraternity years while attending Kent State
University, and his professional career up to that time.

In 2000, he received an honorary
Ph.D. degree from Cleveland State University.

Carey was the first TV star (as
opposed to wrestler or athlete) to ever enter the World
Wrestling Federation's 30-man "Royal Rumble" battle royal
match in 2001; he was promoting an improv comedy pay per
view at the time. He appeared in a few backstage segments
before his brief participation in the match; he eliminated
himself by offering a bribe and then fleeing the ring when
Kane came out.

Drew Carey is also unusual in
Hollywood because he is not a liberal or a conservative but
is in fact a libertarian and has expressed support for the
Libertarian Party. The Drew
Carey Show often supported
a libertarian critique of political correctness, government
regulations, racism and sexism and anti-gay bias with
Carey's cross-dressing brother, Drew dating a bisexual woman
(played by Illeana Douglas) for
two episodes, an ongoing storyline that was critical of the
Boy Scouts of America exclusionary policy against gay men,
and supportive of same-sex marriage.

For The WB's 2004-2005 prime time
schedule, Carey co-produced and starred in
Drew Carey's Green Screen Show,
a
spin-off
of Whose Line Is It Anyway.
It was cancelled by the WB, but picked up shortly afterward
by Comedy Central.

Carey is also known for being a
devoted Cleveland Browns, Indians and US Soccer fan. When he
promoted The Drew Carey Show in 1995, at the same
time the Indians were making a miraculous run at the World
Series, he poked fun at the rest of baseball by saying,
"Finally, it's your team that sucks!"

Comedy Central ranked him number 84
on its 100 Greatest Standups of All Time list.